THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 23, 1995 TAG: 9502210074
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 160 lines
STANDING NEXT to the lectern, at the front of the fifth-floor conference room in City Hall, Rick George slings his leg over an imaginary motorcycle seat, hops aboard his chopper and begins cruising through traffic.
Fifteen other Norfolk city employees watch with amused attention, eager to join George on his mind-bending journey down the expressway.
A few giggles and a couple ``uh huhs'' reverberate throughout the room. After all, these employees have relived George's escapades before. They've listened to his tales about exercising in the gym, driving a school bus, touring London. They know to expect a touch of humor tucked inside a hard-hitting message.
On this cold, wet Monday, George doesn't disappoint. Straddling his air chopper, he begins his spiel.
``I come from a family who loves motor vehicles,'' George, an information systems employee, tells his audience. ``But we also like to arrive alive ... so today, I'm going to give you three techniques for avoiding accidents. These three things can save your life.''
Then he looks them dead in the eyes.
``Can I save your life today?'' he asks Alan Troy, an employee from reprographics and distribution.
``Will you be alive next year?'' he asks another.
Now he has them. They are listening to every word he says. His message is clear, hard-hitting and packed with such visual aides as a road map and a Velcro car. He throws in a few jokes. He uses proper grammar and colorful visual images.
``Don't be a rolling roadblock,'' he tells his audience. ``Go with the flow.''
Not once does he utter an ``ah'' or an awkward pause. Best of all, George stays within the required seven-minute time limit for his ``apply your skills'' speech. No way is he getting that dreaded penalty buzzer.
That is, after all, the mark of a true Able Toastmaster.
Each Monday at noon, city employees like George abandon their power lunches and brown-bag snacks to gather around a City Hall conference table and sharpen their public-speaking skills at a meeting of Toastmasters International, chapter 6822. One of about 24 chapters in Hampton Roads, this Toastmasters club, however, is different from most. It's open only to current or retired Norfolk municipal employees.
The group was established about seven years ago at the suggestion of City Manager Jim Oliver, who was looking for an economical way to enhance employee communication skills.
Today, about 35 employees from all areas and levels of city government belong to the group.
``It's a very democratic mix,'' noted Martha Rollins, a deputy city attorney who serves as the group's vice president. ``The range of folks and their objectives for the group are remarkable.
``In contrast to other training programs, it's a pretty cheap way to accomplish that goal (of enhancing communication skills). The Toastmasters program is really attuned to adult learning. It gives each member a chance to develop a wide range of goals and confidence levels. And it offers a perfect opportunity for city employees to network ... and boost morale.''
The basic program for the club calls for members to deliver 10 different kinds of speeches of about seven minutes each. Once they've delivered those 10, they earn the designation of Able Toastmaster.
When that designation is earned, members can tackle additional types of speeches, some of which must be presented to outside groups, to become a Competent Toastmaster. After that level of accomplishment, they can earn Distinguished Toastmaster status with even more speeches.
At any meeting, members at varying levels working on independent objectives present speeches to the group.
``The materials supplied by Toastmasters International are very reliable and geared for individual goals,'' said Mary Mayer-Hennelly, acting director of the city library and a former president of the group. ``The goal of that very first speech is simply to just get up. Then you can develop skills in organization, gesturing and word choice.''
About every three months, each member is expected to take his or her turn. Although applause is given freely during these talks, time is not.
To keep speakers conscious of time, a designated member keeps track of the speech length, then relays signals to them by activating colored lightbulbs mounted on a wooden box. Green means you have two minutes left; yellow, you have a minute left, and red means your time is up. Only rarely do members receive the buzzer.
``That's really just used on experienced speakers,'' Mayer-Hennelly explained. ``This is a very supportive atmosphere. No matter what happens, you know everyone else feels for you. They know exactly what you're going through, because they've gone through it, too.''
Another member at each meeting tracks the number of times speakers use crutch words, like ``ah,'' within their talks, another big no-no. At the end of each meeting, a trophy goes to the speaker who trips up the most, dubbed the ``Wizard of Ahs'' for the day.
Another meeting ritual is ``Table Topics,'' a chance for members to extemporaneously speak on various subjects. This part of the program can instill fear in the hearts of even the most practiced public speaker.
``Personally, that was the most useful to me,'' Mayer-Hennelly noted. ``When people call on you, it's great to be able to speak intelligently. I used to just dread being called on.''
She's not alone. Overcoming that overwhelming fear of getting up in front of people and trying to say something that makes sense brought many city employees to the club.
When Mark Schweitzer of information systems was given an assignment by his boss to make a presentation to a neighborhood civic league, he knew he needed help. A fellow employee referred him to Toastmasters.
``They told me they'd help me, but that I had to join the club,'' Schweitzer said. ``I had never given a public speech, and I was terrified.''
Even now, after years of practice, Schweitzer still gets butterflies before he speaks publicly.
``Now, they're just in formation,'' he quipped.
Even though Susan Harrington doesn't give too many presentations in her job as a social worker for the police department's PACE Program, five years ago she decided to join Toastmasters for personal reasons.
``I came four times as a guest and didn't open my mouth once,'' Harrington recalled. ``I decided to join and make myself overcome this fear. It took a lot. That first time I spoke, it was so scary. I have no idea what I said. All I remember is that a couple of people were smiling at me. That really helped me to relax. Since then, I've learned to be a good audience member as well as a good speaker.''
Even for veteran speakers like Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Chuck Griffith, who visited a recent meeting, presenting prepared talks with such strict constraints can be overwhelming.
``As much as I get up and talk, this is something totally different,'' Griffin admitted. ``This is very intimidating.''
But for club enthusiasts like Joe Harper, a member who recently took top honors for delivering a humorous speech in statewide Toastmasters competition, overcoming his initial fear at speaking in public has led to another problem.
``Now, so many people say I've gone too far and will speak at the drop of a hat,'' deadpanned Harper, an employee in the police department's planning and research division. ``But I admit, in the beginning, I was terrified. Now, I'm convinced, if I can do well at this, anybody can.'' ILLUSTRATION: ON THE COVER
[Color Photo]
The cover photograph, taken by staff photographer Paul Aiken, shows
Joe Harper giving a speech about a recent trip to Disney World.
Staff photos by PAUL AIKEN
Martha Rollins, the group's vice president, listens to one of the
speeches at a recent meeting.
Pretending to hop aboard a motorcycle, Rick George gets his whole
body into his message while giving a speech about his three
techniques for avoiding accidents.
With green, yellow and red lights in front of him, Alan Troy serves
as the speech timekeeper.
Susan Harrington presents Rick George the day's award for the best
use of a chosen word in a speech. The word for this particular
meeting day was ``array.''
WANT TO JOIN?
The city employees' chapter of Toastmasters International is
looking for new members to invigorate its meetings. Those interested
can call Martha Rollins, chapter vice president, at 441-2871.
Meetings are held at noon each Monday in the fifth-floor
conference room of City Hall.
by CNB